High Schools in Southwest Public Schools

The Southwest Public Schools district in Texas serves two high schools, Southwest Public Schools College & Career Prep Academy and Phoenix School At Southwest Schools, which together educate students from grades 5 through 12 in a high-poverty area where the district ranks in the 9th percentile statewide.

Southwest Public Schools College & Career Prep Academy is the district's primary comprehensive high school, serving 462 students in grades 9-12. It stands out as the stronger performer, with a 90.5% graduation rate and a state ranking in the 37th percentile—a significant improvement from the 20th percentile just two years prior. The school shows particular strength in Algebra I, where 71.29% of students are proficient, well above the state average of 54%. In contrast, Phoenix School At Southwest Schools serves only 107 students across grades 5-12 and faces severe academic challenges. Its graduation rate is just 71.4%, and its state ranking has dropped to the 11th percentile. Most alarmingly, the school recorded 0% proficiency in 8th-grade Math, 8th-grade Social Studies, and Algebra I, indicating a fundamental breakdown in core instruction.

A key takeaway is the spending paradox: Phoenix School spends over $27,000 per student—more than double the $12,209 spent at College & Career Prep Academy—yet achieves dramatically worse outcomes. This suggests the high spending on intensive interventions is not translating into academic success. While Phoenix does show a relative strength in U.S. History (52.94% proficiency), the two schools are on completely different trajectories, with College & Career Prep Academy improving and Phoenix in a state of crisis. For parents, Southwest Public Schools College & Career Prep Academy clearly offers a more stable and effective educational environment within the Southwest Public Schools district.